(一)
Last year, courts sentence 233 people to death but actually executed none, while policemen kill an estimated 590 people. Probably half of them were a threat to no one, including the police officers who killed them.
The police power to kill is unique in that it is not limited to self-defense or defense of others. On most states, the law still allows police officers to shoot to kill any fleeing felony suspect. This is a carry-over from centuries-old English Common Law, which classified only eight serious crimes as felonies, all of which were punishable by death. Though English courts denied police the right to kill suspects fleeing from nonviolent felonies over 100 years ago, most American courts continue to support firmly that police right. In current American law, in addition to most violent crime, the list of felonies has come to include a broad range of nonviolent crime, such as car theft and other larcenies, none of which is punishable by death after conviction in court but is legally punishable by death before arrest on the street if the suspect tries to flee from the police. Limited statistical evidence suggests that perhaps as many as half of the people killed by policemen are fleeing felony-and even misdemeanor-suspects.
When a police officer is killed, the law-enforcement and criminal-justice systems always react swiftly and deliberately in investigating the killing. But when the police kill-in a typical year, for each police officer killed in the line of duty, six citizens were killed by policemen-the system reacts quite differently. Killing by the police is investigated by the police. These internal investigations normally proceed unnoticed by the general public and the conclusions reached seldom become public information. Because internal investigation is often intended to defend police action more than investigate it, less than one percent of all killings by policemen are ruled unjustifiable by police departments, even though independent studies have found that 25 to 50 percent of the victims have been unarmed.
1.The writer of the editorial states that internal investigations of police killings ____.
A) are swift and accurate in administering justice
B) often result in the suspension from the police force of an officer found to be careless with a gun
C) seldom result in the conviction of a police officer for the killing of a citizen
D) are a form of protection for the average citizen against unreasonable police action
2.The editorial states that ____.
A) in English, police may kill a suspect who is fleeing from a nonviolent felony
B) in the United States, police may kill a suspect who is fleeing from a nonviolent felony
C) in most states, policemen may shoot to kill only in self-defense or defense of others
D) English Common Law is inadequate because of today's high crime rate
3.Why the police power to kill is exclusive?
A) The law support the police to kill.
B) The police is more powerful than any other forces.
C) Such killing is not limited to self-defense of defense of others.
D) The police is a part of the government.
4.The word "felony" in the last sentence of paragraph 2 means ____.
A) serious crime B) killing
C) robbing D) raping
5.If the author adopted a tone in writing the passage, it can be described as ____.
A) furious B) melancholic
C) objective D) delighted
语言注释
1.flee vi.逃跑，逃离，如,He killed his enemy and fled the country.
2.misdemeanor n.法律用词，较轻的犯法行为，小罪
3.unjustifiable adj.无法证明为正当的； 没理由的。它是justifiable 的反义词。
4.swiftly adv.很快地,即刻
5.In current American law, in addition to most violent crime, the list of felonies has come to include a broad range of nonviolent crime, such as car theft and other larcenies, none of which is punishable by death after conviction in court but is legally punishable by death before arrest on the street if the suspect tries to flee from the police.
参考译文
当前的美国宪法规定，除最严重的暴力犯罪外，重罪还包括了许多非暴力犯罪，如偷车和盗窃，而这些罪名无一应当在法庭依法被判死罪，但如果嫌疑犯拒捕逃跑，警察就可依法在逮捕前将其杀死。
答案解析
1.C 文章第三段指出，Because internal investigation is often intended to defend police action more than investigate it, less than one percent of all killings by policemen are ruled unjustifiable by police department，内部调查公布的结果是被警察枪杀的人中只有百分之一的人是无辜的。也就是说百分之九十九的枪杀了嫌疑犯的警察都被定无罪。百分之一对百分之九十九，解释了seldom.
2.B 在第二段中作者指出,most American courts continue to support firmly that police right大多数的美国法庭都继续支持警察杀死企图逃跑的非暴力重罪嫌疑犯。 A和C与作者所持的观点相反。D错在作者在文中并未对英国习惯法的优劣给予评判。
3.C 第二段第一句指出,The police power to kill is unique in that it is not limited to self-defense or defense of others 警察杀人权力的独特性在于这不仅仅限于自我保护和保护他人,题支中的exclusive就是unique 的意思。
4.A 此词的意思是重罪或重罪犯的意思。
5.C 文章始终保持了冷静客观的语气，甚至未对警察杀人一事直接表态，而是用事实说话。
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